Stay away from any company that claims it can fix your debt problems by negotiating settlements. They take your payments, trash your credit rating, balances escalate, income taxes are due on the escalated balance that are negotiated down, and then they claim success based on the inflated ending balances.

Credit counseling might help you understand your options. With the interest rates that you have, they can't help with interest rates.

You view your income as low, but how does it relate to average income in your area? Would you qualify to completely discharge the debt or would you be required to repay part of it in bankruptcy?

But if while fighting the good fight, we get SUNK halfway through the game, there went 15k that could have went towards are savings and/or mortgages.

If you make it half way, your odds of success are good. Minimum payments decrease as the balances decrease.

If you are unable to keep up with payments, then deal with it then. Bankruptcy is not a now or never. Since you have stopped using the cards, the balances will start to decrease.

You are a teacher. Since you are in a small town, you can't tutor your own students, but would it be possible for you to do online tutoring?

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